Choose Health

Exercise is for People of ALL sizes

It drives me nuts when people say that I don’t need to exercise or eat healthy because I’m already at a healthy weight. Depending on who is asking me, I’ll ask them two very important questions.

1) How do you think I became this weight?

2) How do you think I stay at this weight?

I answer my own question (because usually they are still thinking about what I just asked them) and I say, “Well, it didn’t happen by accident!”. I may say it jokingly, but it’s completely true. I have to work at it, and I’m not complaining by any means, it’s just the honest truth. I have completely revamped my eating habits as well as my exercise routine and it’s made a world of difference to my overall health.

Prevention is Key

“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.”  ~Author Unknown

I believe that you should do everything you can to prevent illness in the first place. You will more than likely still become sick now and again, but not nearly as often as you would be if you didn’t have a healthy lifestyle in place. Most people will completely neglect their body until they are forced to recognize that changes needs to be made. At that point, it might already be too late. I hope you all have another chance, but I realize that’s not always everyone’s reality.

Today

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have everything you need to make healthier choices in your life. Being a “healthy person” doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. Creating a healthy lifestyle means you are continuously making healthy decisions over and over again. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it just means that more often than not you are making healthy choices.

To get started, make one change that will have a positive impact.  For example, you can start drinking water instead of soda . You can start eating products that are whole grain instead of made with white processed flour. You can exercise every day for 5 minutes rather than nothing at all. It all starts with the first step.

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Tags: disease, Fitness, Health, illness, Nutrition, prevention

Twinkie’s Challenge: Exercise Regularly

We’ve all been told that we are supposed to exercise on a regular basis, since it’s healthy for us. But why should you and I exercise on a regular basis? Is the effort worth the sacrifice?

I am challenging each of you to make exercise a part of your life, and I suggest you check out some of the benefits that are associated with regular exercise.

Define “Regular Exercise”

In order to benefit from regular exercise, you need to start somewhere. What’s considered “regular exercise”? In general, adults need to exercise for about three to five times a week, for 20 – 40 minutes.

Health Benefits of Regular Exercise

There are plenty of reasons why you should take on this challenge of making exercise a part of your life. I will list some of the top benefits of exercise, just to give you some encouragement and to help you get started.

•Increased Energy

Do you notice that you are lethargic and too tired to exercise? If you are already tired, I don’t blame you for dreading exercise. Interestingly enough, if you just push through that first workout,  you will notice an amazing boost of energy!

•Muscle Strength

If you want to burn more fat in any given moment, you need to gain lean muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn which leads to less body fat.

•Live Longer

According to a 20 year study, regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely. This isn’t a surprise considering all of the health benefits associated with exercise.

•Reduce The Risk of Breast Cancer

Studies show that when women exercise, two ovarian hormone (Progesterone and Estradiol) levels are lowered in the body. This is a very good thing, since an excess of these hormones have been linked to breast cancer tumor production. This means that by regular exercise, you can reduce the risk of breast cancer by up to 60% – if this isn’t a reason to exercise, I don’t know what is!

•Lose Excess Fat, and Keep it Off

Exercise increases your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day – long after your morning run (or whatever you decide to do). Exercise will help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

•Clears Skin

Exercise is a great way to remove toxins from your body, which occurs when you sweat during exercise. Exercise is a natural detox for your skin, which helps you get rid of acne. Your skin increases the natural production of collagen, which is an all natural anti-aging benefit!

•Increase Cardiovascular Efficiency 

The stronger your heart is, the more blood can be pumped through your heart with less effort.  This is a very good thing since strengthening your heart with regular exercise will decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease in the process.

•Lower Blood Pressure

If you need to reduce your blood pressure, you need to start an exercise program (which this challenge should be the perfect opportunity to start, right?). All forms of exercise has been shown to be effective in lowering blood pressure.

•Strengthens Bones

Increase your bone density by choosing an active lifestyle! If you include cardiovascular exercises and weight training (nothing too intense, mind you…), it will help promote bone formation which will delay bone loss. Increase bone mass has been shown to protect against osteoporosis, which is bone loss associated with aging. As you get older, keep on moving!

•Prevent (or cure) Depression

You don’t need (in my opinion) antidepressants to help with your depression. First of all, they don’t fix the problem. Second of all, they are actually harmful to you and your mental health. Thirdly, study after study has proven that exercise reduces the symptoms of depression and promotes mental health. Exercise for 30 minutes just three to five times a week to experience significant improvements. This is something the drug companies don’t want you to know…since we all know how exercise can be cheap or even free.

•Reduce Stress Hormones

Is stress affecting your health? Sounds like you need to exercise (and perhaps resolve the issues causing the stress!) . Sometimes we can’t easily resolve the cause of the stress, but it’s good to know that regular exercise has been prove to reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body. Less stress hormones means lower blood pressure and a healthier you.

• Prevents Illness

Are you sick all of the time? Maybe you need to jump start your immune system, which will help reduce the amount of illness you will have to experience. Regular exercise is a great way to rev up your immune system

•Reduce the Risk of a Stroke

Exercise may reduce the risk of total, hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes – according to research data.

•Better Night’s Rest

Exercise has been shown to help you get to sleep at night. So long sleep apnea!

•Increase New Brain Cells

Did you know that exercise actually stimulates the formation of new brain cells? Research has shown that the area of the brain that forms the new cells is responsible for learning and memory development.

•Lower Cholesterol Levels

Do you have high cholesterol, and need to lower it? Exercise has shown to have a direct effect with influencing blood cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol.

•Prevent Diabetes

Studies have shown that exercise, combined with a healthy diet, can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by up to 60%! Considering how dangerous diabetes can be, exercise and a healthy lifestyle should be a no brainer.

Ok everyone – it’s time for you to take this challenge seriously. Do this for you. Do this for your own health, and take charge of your life. Make the choice today to make exercise a habit…you won’t regret it.

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Tags: blood pressure, cancer, cholesterol, Depression, Diabetes, energy, exercise, Fitness, immune system, muscle, prevention, strength, Twinkie's Challenge, Weight Loss

Prevent or Treat Headaches

Nobody wants a headache. Learn how you can prevent headaches, in addition to learning how to stop a headache as your experiencing one.

Types of Headaches

There are two types of headaches that are the most common for people, which is either a tension headache or a migraine.

Tension headaches account for 90% of all headaches. This type of headache is generally a dull ache or a feeling of tightness all over the head.

Migraine headaches effect an estimated 28 million people. This type of headache is more intense and painful than a regular headache, even to the point of becoming disabling.

How to Prevent a Headache

Headaches are absolutely miserable, but the good news is that you can prevent both tension and migraine headaches. Here are some things you can start doing now to prevent a future headache.

•Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

•If you drink alcohol, limit your intake -including red wine. Ultimately, you will want to avoid alcoholic drinks entirely, but I say to take it one step at a time.

•Eat regularly, and don’t skip meals! Especially if you are hypoglycemic, skipping meals will just cause painful migraines. It’s worth the extra effort to eat food every couple of hours to prevent such pain. Trust me, I know.

•Proper nutrition is important in the prevention of headaches. If you avoid fried and processed foods – especially those containing MSG, Amines and Nitrates, since these are known to trigger painful headaches.

•Limit or completely eliminate your Caffeine intake. This means you should avoid coffee, energy drinks, and chocolate. I understand that chocolate is hard to get rid of, but when you think of the migraines it can cause for some people, it becomes a little easier to let it go.

•Increase your omega-3 fatty acids. You can start eating meals containing healthy fish like salmon, or just start taking a high grade fish oil.

•Make sure that you get enough sleep! This is easier said that done when you are busy juggling your life, but I promise that the benefits will be much worth your effort to get your needed rest.

•Exercise is a great way to prevent tension headaches and migraines.

•Life can get pretty hectic, and that means we are prone to stress.  It’s important that we relieve the stress in any way we can. How do you relieve the stress in your life? Sometimes you can’t change your hectic schedule, but maybe you can squeeze in a little “me” time once in awhile. Try a warm foot bath or hot shower to relax your muscles, or even aromatherapy.

How to Stop a Headache -Now!

There are plenty of things you can do to prevent a headache, but when you have a headache right now,  I understand you don’t want to know how to prevent it because it’s already too late for that.

Here are some ways you can stop your headache right now.

•Studies have proven that the active ingredient in Cayenne pepper, capsaicin, relieves headaches.

•I realize that not everyone will have immediate access to acupuncture, but if do have access to this type of treatment, it has been proven to prevent and relieve headaches.

•Lemons can be used internally or externally to get rid of your pesky headache. You can either drink some freshly squeezed lemon juice and water, or add some lemon juice and lemon skins to the temples to ease your headache away.

•Sometimes your headache is caused by your back or neck being out of alignment. Be sure to visit a trusted chiropractor to provide an adjustment. There have been plenty of times where I had headaches for several days, and once I saw my chiropractor for an adjustment, my headaches were gone.

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Sources: Clinical Journal of Pain June 1998;14(2):97-106

Image Credits: Thad Zajdowicz

Tags: cure, headache, Natural Healing, prevent, prevention, treat

Breastfeeding vs. Formula

When you first get pregnant, one of the many important decisions you will need to make is whether you should breastfeed or not. It’s a decisoon that will effect your baby’s health. You want to make sure that you give your baby the best.

Which is healthier;  Breast milk or Formula?

Research shows that Breast milk is the healthiest option for your small baby. Even though formula has come along way, it still doesn’t quite compare to what Mother Nature has to provide.

Baby’s Benefits

• Perfect balance of Nutrients, which also evolves to meet your baby’s needs throughout development.

• Easy to digest.

• Helps prevent sickness, including Ear Infections, Stomach Flu, Pneumonia, and Digestive Tract Disorders.

• Protection against Diabetes, Heart Disease, Respiratory Infections, and Allergies.

• Improves brain function.

A healthy baby is a happy baby!

Mom’s Benefits

• Helps Mom burn calories! Also, breastfeeding reduces fat stores, which helps you return to your normal weight before you even got pregnant.

• Studies have shown that woman who breastfeed have reduced risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

• Breast milk is free. I know this shouldn’t be your reason the breast feeding, but it’s a nice advantage to it!

Formula

Some woman are not able to breastfeed, so choosing the right formula is an important decision to make. Not all formula is created equal.

• Stay away from Soy based formulas. These may be “Lactose Free” and marketed as a healthier choice, but in reality they compromise the health of your baby in many ways. Soy formulas affect the baby’s hormone levels, impair thyroid function, and will expose your baby to dangerously high estrogen levels.

• The average baby formula is based on pasteurized milk. This type of formula can compromise your baby’s digestive system, but still better for your baby when you compare it to Soy formulas.

Interesting thought

For someone who makes a profit from selling formula, what does a company like Gerber® have to say about breastfeeding?

“Breast milk is best for babies and provides the nutrition for cognitive development and physical growth”

If you have the choice, breast milk is the healthiest option for your baby and you!

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Tags: Allergies, Baby, Breast Milk, Breastfeeding, digestion, Formula, Healthy, New Mom, nutrients, prevention, soy

An Apple a day…

We have all heard the saying “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away”, but why is that? Apples are good for you- known Fact. Just how good are they for you, and what are some of the Health Benefits?

Nutrition

Apples have lots of Vitamin C, they are High in Fiber, and have Boron and Phloridzin, which helps with the strengthening of bones.

Apples are known to reduce or prevent the risk of Heart Disease,  Diabetes, several types of Cancers, Alzheimers disease, and help lower cholesterol.

Caffeine Replacement

Need to stay awake for an afternoon meeting? Rather than having some bad-for-you energy drink with loads of sugar, artifical sweeteners, and loaded with calories…why not have an apple? That’s right, Apples are known to help you stay awake, a healthier wake up call compared to your other caffeinated options.

Weight Loss Food

Another weight loss tip? Yes, apples are helpful for those who may want to maintain or lose weight. Again, apples are High in Fiber (Green apples especially), which keeps you fuller for a longer period of time, and apples are also is low in calories. Depending on its size, apples are  about 100 calories or less. Not bad for such a helpful fruit.

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Tags: apple, boron, Fruit, heathier alternative to caffeine, Lose Weight, low calore, lowers choles, maintain weight, Nutrition, phloridzin, prevention, snack, stay awake, stregthen bone, vitamin C